WAYANAD (KERALA), Jan 27: A ‘man-eater’ tiger that killed a woman when she had gone to collect coffee beans in a forest-fringed estate two days ago, was found dead in Kerala’s high-range district of Wayanad in the early hours of Monday, forest officials said.
The death of the woman triggered widespread protest in the area, forcing the state government to declare the tiger as a man-eater on Sunday and schedule it for culling.
Forest officials who were engaged in combing operations day and night to spot the animal found it dead with deep injuries on its neck in the Pilakavu area here on Monday morning.
After verifying the stripe pattern of the carcass, officials confirmed that it was the same tiger that killed Radha, a 46-year-old woman, on Saturday and triggered a widespread scare in the Pancharakolli area.
Chief veterinary surgeon Dr Arun Zachariah, who led the special search team, said there were clear wounds on the tiger’s carcass, and the injuries might have been caused by a fight with another tiger.
Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) Northern Circle, KS Deepa, said the exact cause of this tiger’s death could be ascertained only after a postmortem.
She said the forest officials were constantly monitoring its movements by examining the visuals of cameras installed in various spots in the area.
An attempt was made to tranquilise the big cat in the wee hours of Monday, but it didn’t succeed, she said. Later that tiger was found dead in the Pilakavu area, she told reporters here.
“We recognised the presence of a tiger in the area at 12:30 AM. A forest department team, led by Dr Zachariah, was carrying out patrols and perambulation,” she said.
“The team spotted the tiger by 2.30 am. Though they attempted to tranquilise it, the animal gave a slip. We continued the perambulation and later found the tiger dead,” the CCF said, adding that there were injury marks on its carcass.
Zachariah said that the big cat might have reached the area after getting injured in a fight occurred inside the forest.
“There were both fresh and old wounds on its body. There is a strong possibility that it had a fierce fight with other tigers,” the expert said.
He also clarified that the wildlife officials were unable to tranquilise the tiger due to the night time conditions, despite spotting and tracking it for hours.
The tiger was found dead behind a house in the morning and it could be six or seven years of age, the veterinarian noted.
Forest Minister A K Saseendran, who faced the heat of protest by local people on Sunday when he visited the family of Radha, said the death of the big cat was news of relief for the people living in high ranges here, especially for those in Pancharakolli.
While talking to reporters in neighbouring Kozhikode, the minister also congratulated the wildlife officials who engaged in the mission to catch the tiger, risking their own lives.
Though the tiger that triggered a scare in Pancharakolli is dead, the search mission by the wildlife team will continue in all the areas where the presence of the big cat is suspected in Wayanad, he said.
Necessary instructions have been given to Chief Wildlife Warden and the district collector to continue the search mission in necessary areas, the minister said, adding that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has been briefed on continuing actions in this regard.
Meanwhile, local people of Pancharakolli distributed sweets to celebrate the death of the feline.
Authorities had imposed a curfew in certain areas of Mananthavady Municipality on Sunday, following the fatal tiger attack on the woman.
Forest Minister Saseendran declared the tiger a man-eater following a high-level meeting at the district collectorate on Sunday. (PTI)